Participant 16

Guiding Questions:

What are your initial thoughts about the concept of Literacy with ICT (LwICT)?
The concept is a good one. As with all good ideas the issues will be with implementation.

What implementation barriers for LwICT do you foresee at Senior Years?
In no particular order:
1. Senior years teachers instruct between 100 to 200 students. Whereas, in general, K-8 teachers see the same 20-25 kids each day. The flip side is that a senior years student has 6-8 teachers. The question will arise: who should evaluate whom and how. It will be difficult to place students on the continuum when I only see them for about 3.5hrs a week in groups of 25.

2. As with K-8 there will be resistance from teachers who do not wish to change their way of teaching. There will be additional tension when the same student receives different messages about LwICT from different teachers.

3. The volume of curriculum content might impede the progress of LwICT since, at first, teachers will have to teach ICT skills before they can have their students use LwICT. Some teachers will take the stand that this takes too much time from their classes.

4. Ethical issues will be a major hurdle. Many senior years teachers, especially the new graduates who have grown up in the digital age see nothing wrong downloading songs etc.


What opportunities does LwICT present for Senior Years?

1. In my experience it is a myth that students have required ICT skills for high school. This would increase their skill level.
2. More importantly it would make teachers as well as students aware of and proficient with actually learning with technology. Most so called learning with technology these days actually only researching with technology. Using simulation applications, graphing software, collaborative writing tools etc. are not used very much: at least not in my school. This implementing some of this would be a major paradigm shift for some teachers.

What professional learning is required initially to prepare Senior Years teachers to begin to use the LwICT continuum?

1. Basic and intermediate ICT skills. Senior years students often have a hard time doing something that their teacher does not know how to do.
2. The continuum itself will have to be explained, perhaps with examples per subject area.

What types of ICT do you currently have in your Senior Years classroom?

1 computer with printer, internet.

What types of ICT are available to you in your school, but not in your classroom?

Computer lab that can be booked, media projector that can be booked.,

What subjects and grades do you teach and how do you currently use ICT to enhance student learning?
Pre-cal 40S -- Computer/projector for teaching graphing, functions, transitions.
Physics 40S -- Computer/projector for showing video clips, animations, demonstrations.
I also have 30 licenses of Interactive Physics. I have created numerous lab simulations for situations where a "real world" lab could not be done.
Computer Science 20S -- Computer programing.